Internal venting system for industrial machines

ABSTRACT

A mining shovel includes a boom and a transmission unit coupled to the boom. The transmission unit includes an outer housing, an internal motor housing disposed within the outer housing, and a venting system coupled to the outer housing to direct air through both the outer housing and the internal motor housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/704,095, filed Sep. 21, 2012, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to venting systems for transmission unitsin industrial machines such as electric rope and power shovels.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the mining field, and in other fields in which large volumes ofmaterials must be collected and removed from a work site, it is typicalto employ industrial machines including a large dipper for shoveling thematerials from the work site. Industrial machines, such as electric ropeor power shovels, draglines, etc., are used to execute diggingoperations to remove material from, for example, a bank of a mine.Electric rope shovels typically include a shovel boom, a handlepivotally extending from the boom and supporting the dipper, and asheave or pulley rotatably supported on the boom. The handle is drivenby a transmission unit (i.e., a crowd drive assembly) including, amongother components, a crowd motor, belt, sheaves, gearing, etc. A hoistrope extends around the sheave or pulley and is connected to the shoveldipper to raise and lower the dipper, thereby producing an efficientdigging motion to excavate the bank of material.

When the industrial machine impacts a bank of material, the transmissionunit of the machine generates large amounts of energy from the inertia,which drive the boom handle and the boom forward, and thereby causesboom jacking

Transmission units require constant cooling and ventilation in order tofunction properly. Currently, transmission units are cooled by usingducting routed directly to a motor in the transmission unit. Whencooling is required for a gear case in the transmission unit, anexternal heat exchanger must be installed.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one construction, a mining shovel includes a boom anda transmission unit coupled to the boom. The transmission unit includesan outer housing, an internal motor housing disposed within the outerhousing, and a venting system coupled to the outer housing to direct airthrough both the outer housing and the internal motor housing.

In accordance with another construction, a mining shovel includes a boomhaving a substantially sealed, inner cavity, and a transmission unitcoupled to the boom. The transmission unit includes an outer housing, aninternal motor housing disposed within the outer housing, and a ventingsystem coupled to the outer housing to direct air through thesubstantially sealed boom, the outer housing, and the internal motorhousing.

In accordance with another construction, a mining shovel includes a boomand a transmission unit coupled to the boom. The transmission unitincludes an outer housing and an internal motor housing disposed withinthe outer housing. The transmission unit also includes a venting systemcoupled to the outer housing to direct air into the outer housing, theventing system including a blower coupled to the boom, and a pluralityof duct sections disposed along an exterior of the boom that direct airfrom the blower to the outer housing.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration ofthe detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an industrial machine, including a transmission unit.

FIG. 2 illustrates the transmission unit of FIG. 1, along with a ventingsystem according to one construction of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates the transmission unit and the venting system of FIG.2, wherein a blower of the venting system is removed.

FIG. 4 illustrates the transmission unit and the venting system of FIG.2, wherein the blower of the venting system and a cover of a gear caseare removed.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a transmission unit and a venting systemaccording to another construction of the invention, the venting systemincluding internal ducting extending from a blower to a transmissionunit.

FIG. 7 illustrates a transmission unit and a venting system according toanother construction of the invention, the internal venting systemincluding external ducting.

FIGS. 8-13 illustrate a transmission unit and a venting system accordingto another construction of the invention, the venting system including aboom of the machine as part of a duct system.

FIGS. 14-18 illustrate transmission units and a venting system accordingto another construction of the invention, the venting system including acentralized blower and manifold.

Before any constructions of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of the construction and the arrangements of components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Thepresent invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practicedor being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood thatthe phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the invention described herein can be applied to, performed by,or used in conjunction with a variety of industrial machines,embodiments of the invention described herein are described with respectto an electric rope or power shovel, such as a power shovel 10 shown inFIG. 1. The shovel 10 includes a mobile base 15, drive tracks 20, aturntable 25, a revolving frame 30, a boom 35, a boom lower end 40 (alsocalled a boom foot), tension cables 50, a gantry tension member 55, agantry compression member 60, a dipper 70 having a door 72, a bail 73,one or more hoist ropes 75, a hoist drum 80, a dipper arm or handle 85,a saddle block 90, a pivot point 95 (e.g., a shipper shaft), atransmission unit 100 (i.e., a crowd drive), two bail pins 105, a dipperdoor pin 110, and a boom point pin 115. Examples of other transmissionunits for a shovel 10 are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/835,363, filed on Mar. 15, 2013, the entire contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the mobile base 15 is supported bythe drive tracks 20. The mobile base 15 supports the turntable 25 andthe revolving frame 30. The turntable 25 is capable of 360 degrees ofrotation about the revolving frame 30 relative to the mobile base 15.The boom 35 is pivotally connected at the lower end 40 to the revolvingframe 30. The boom 35 is held in an upwardly and outwardly extendingrelation to the revolving frame 30 by the tension cables 50, which areanchored to the gantry tension member 55 and the gantry compressionmember 60. The gantry compression member 60 is rigidly mounted on therevolving frame 30, and the sheave 45 is rotatably mounted on the upperend of the boom 35.

The dipper 70 is suspended from the boom 35 by the hoist ropes 75. Thehoist rope 75 is wrapped over the sheave 45 and attached to the dipper70 at the bail 73. The hoist rope 75 is anchored to the hoist drum 80 ofthe revolving frame 30. The hoist drum 80 is driven by at least oneelectric motor 82 that incorporates a transmission unit (not shown). Asthe hoist drum 80 rotates, the hoist rope 75 is paid out to lower thedipper 70 or pulled in to raise the dipper 70. The dipper handle 85 isalso rigidly attached to the dipper 70. The dipper handle 85 is slidablysupported in a saddle block 90, and the saddle block 90 is pivotallymounted to the boom 35 at the pivot point 95. The dipper handle 85includes a rack tooth formation thereon that engages a drive pinionmounted in the saddle block 90. The drive pinion is driven by anelectric motor and the transmission unit 100 to extend or retract thedipper arm 85 relative to the saddle block 90.

An electrical power source (not shown) is mounted to the revolving frame30 to provide power to the hoist electric motor 82 for driving the hoistdrum 80, one or more crowd electric motors for driving the transmissionunit 100, and one or more swing electric motors for turning theturntable 25. Each of the crowd, hoist, and swing motors is driven byits own motor controller or drive in response to control signals from acontroller (not shown) associated with the operation of shovel 10. Thecontroller is electrically and/or communicatively connected to a varietyof modules or components of the shovel 10.

With reference to FIGS. 2-4, the transmission unit 100 includes ahousing 120. The housing 120 includes a gear case 125. As illustrated inFIG. 4, disposed inside the housing 120 are two motors 130. Each of themotors 130 is also disposed inside an interior motor housing 135.

During operation of the transmission unit 100, the gear case 125, themotors 130, and the interior motor housings 135 are subjected to highlevels of heat. In order to combat overheating, the shovel 10 includes aventing system 140 for cooling the gear case 125, the motors 130, andthe interior motor housings 135. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the ventingsystem 140 includes an AC electric motor and a blower 145 coupled to thehousing 120 along an exterior surface 150 of the housing 120. Asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the blower 145 pushes cool air through acool air input 155 into a cool air cavity 160 inside the housing 120. Asthe air enters the cool air cavity 160, the air removes heat from thegear case 125 and cools the gear case 125.

With reference to FIG. 4, once the air has worked its way into housing120 and has cooled the gear case 125, the air enters each of theinternal motor housings 135 through apertures 165 positionedapproximately 90 degrees apart on the internal motor housings 135. Otherconstructions include different numbers and arrangements of apertures165. The air circulates in each of the internal motor housings 135 andcools the motors 130 and internal motor housings 135.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the air (which has been warmed) thenexits through two external motor housings 170 that are coupled (e.g.,integrally formed with) the housing 120. The external motor housings 170include distal ends 175 spaced from the gear case 125. The distal ends175 include openings disposed at lower portions 180 that permit thewarmed air (as illustrated by the arrows) to exit the transmission unit100 into the ambient environment. Other constructions include differentexit points for the warmed air, including one or more apertures alongthe exterior surface 150 or other locations along the external motorhousings 175.

In some constructions the blower 145 pushes cool air into the cool aircavity 160 of the housing 120 through the cool air input 155. As the airenters the cool air cavity 160, the air removes heat from the gear case125 and cools the gear case 125. The cool air then is separated intoseparate pathways (e.g., with a divider wall or walls) inside thehousing 120 prior to entering the motors 130 for cooling and exhaustingthe motors 130 and the internal motor housings 135.

In some constructions the blower 145 is reversed mounted to completelyreverse the air flow scheme described above. For example, the blower 145draws the heated air from the cavity 160, the motors 130, and theinternal motor housings 135, and the heated air is then exhaustedoutside. The heated air from the motors 130 and the internal motorhousings 135 is kept separated (e.g., with a divider wall or walls) fromthe heated air from the cavity 60 until the two sources of heated airreach a suction side of the blower.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a venting system 240 according to anotherconstruction of the invention. The venting system 240 employs much ofthe same structure and has many of the same properties as thepreviously-described venting system 140 shown in FIGS. 2-4. Analogouselements to those of venting system 140 have been given the same numberplus “100.”

With reference to FIG. 5, a blower 245 is positioned at or near thelower end 40 of the boom 35. In other constructions the blower 245 ispositioned elsewhere on the boom 35 or the shovel 10, for example on anoutside wall of the boom 35, or at or near an upper end of the boom 35.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the blower 245 directs cold air througha set of ducting 290 disposed inside of the boom 30. The cold air isdirected up to a cool air input 255 in a housing 220 of a transmissionunit 200, the housing 220 including a gear case 225. Similar to theventing system 140, the air cools the gear case 225 and the motors andthe internal motor housings (not shown) disposed inside the housing 220before exiting, for example, at distal ends 275 of external motorhousings 270.

FIG. 7 illustrates a venting system 340 according to anotherconstruction of the invention. The venting system 340 employs much ofthe same structure and has many of the same properties as thepreviously-described venting systems 140 and 240 shown in FIGS. 2-6.Analogous elements to those of the venting system 140 have been giventhe same number plus “200.”

With reference to FIG. 7, the venting system 340 including a set ofducting 390 that is positioned along an exterior surface of the boom 35.As opposed to routing the ducting 390 through the interior of the boom35, as in venting system 240, the ducting 390 instead rests along and/oris coupled to the exterior of the boom 35. The ducting 390 directs coldair from a blower 345 to a cool air input 355 in a housing 320 of atransmission unit 300, the housing 300 including a gear case 325.Similar to the venting systems 140 and 240, the air cools the gear case325 and the motors and the internal motor housings (not shown) disposedinside the housing 320 before exiting, for example, through externalmotor housings 370.

FIGS. 8-13 illustrate a venting system 440 according to anotherconstruction of the invention. The venting system 440 employs much ofthe same structure and has many of the same properties as thepreviously-described venting systems 140, 240, and 340 shown in FIGS.2-7. Analogous elements to those of the venting system 140 have beengiven the same number plus “300.”

As illustrated in FIGS. 8-13, the venting system 440 includes asubstantially sealed boom 1035 that forms at least a portion of aductwork for the venting system 440. Similar to the boom 35, the boom1035 includes a lower end 1040. A transmission unit 400 is coupled tothe boom 1035. The transmission unit 400 includes a housing 420 thatincludes a gear case 425 and internal motors and motor housings (notshown).

With reference to FIGS. 10-12, the venting system 440 includes a blower445 positioned at or near the lower end 1040. The blower 445 directscold air through a first duct section 490 directly into the boom 1035.As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the boom 1035 is substantiallyhollow, and is substantially sealed off from the ambient environment, aswell as from the rest of any shovel to which it attaches. As the airexits the first duct section 490 and enters the boom 1035, the air isprevented or at least substantially inhibited from exiting the boom1035, except through an aperture 1037 in the boom 1035. As illustratedin FIG. 11, the aperture 1037 is a generally circular grated openingdisposed along an interior wall 1039 of the boom 1035.

With reference to FIGS. 9 and 11, after exiting the boom 1035 throughthe aperture 1037, the air from the blower 445 enters a second ductsection 492 that delivers the cold air to a cool air input 455 in thehousing 420. Similar to the venting systems 140, 240, and 340, the aircools the gear case 425 and the motors and the internal motor housings(not shown) disposed inside the housing 420.

With reference to FIGS. 9 and 13, the air (which has been warmed) thenexits through external motor housings 470. The external motor housings470 include distal ends 475 spaced from the gear case 425. Asillustrated in FIG. 13, the distal ends 475 include openings 477disposed at lower portions 480 of the external housings 470 that permitthe warmed air to exit the transmission unit 400 into the ambientenvironment. Other constructions include different exit points for thewarmed air.

FIGS. 14-18 illustrate a venting system 540 according to anotherconstruction of the invention. The venting system 540 employs much ofthe same structure and has many of the same properties as thepreviously-described venting systems 140, 240, 340, and 440 shown inFIGS. 2-13. Analogous elements to those of venting system 140 have beengiven the same number plus “400.”

The venting system 540 is for use with a boom 2035. Similar to the booms35 and 1035, the boom 2035 includes a lower end 2040. As illustrated inFIGS. 14 and 15, a transmission unit 500 is coupled to the boom 2035.The transmission unit 500 includes a housing 520 that includes a gearcase 525 and internal motors and motor housings (not shown).

With reference to FIG. 16, the venting system 540 includes a centralizedblower 545 and a manifold 547 extending from the blower 545. Themanifold 547 includes a plurality of duct sections 549. The blower 545directs cold air through the duct sections 549 to one or more componentson a shovel, including the transmission unit 500. The blower 545 and themanifold 547 are sized and configured to be placed atop and coupled to amobile base of a shovel (e.g., mobile base 15 on the shovel 10).

With reference to FIGS. 14-16, the venting system 540 includes two ductsections 590 that are disposed adjacent to the transmission unit 500.The two duct sections 590 are coupled to two exterior motor housings570, as well as to a plate 594 on the boom 2035. As illustratedschematically in FIGS. 14 and 15, the two duct sections 590 are coupledto the manifold 547 at the plate 594 such that cold air is directed fromthe blower 545, through the manifold 547, through the two duct sections590, and directly into the exterior motor housings 570.

Similar to the venting systems 140, 240, 340, and 440, the air cools thegear case 525 as well as the motors and the internal motor housings (notshown) disposed inside the housing 520. The cool air first cools theinterior motor housings and motors prior to cooling the gear case 525.Once the air has cooled the motors, the internal motor housings, and thegear case 525, the warmed air then exits through an aperture 598disposed along an exterior surface 550 of the housing 520. The aperture598 is a vertically oriented elongate aperture disposed between theexternal motor housings 570, although other constructions includedifferent numbers, locations, sizes and configurations for the apertureor apertures 598.

With reference to FIGS. 16-18, the venting system 540 also directs coldair to a hoist transmission unit 600 that includes a hoist drum 680 andhoist motors 682. The hoist drum 680 includes a drum housing 684, andthe hoist motors 682 include motor housings 686. The hoist drum 680 andthe hoist motors 682 are similar to the hoist drum 80 and the hoistmotor 82 described above for shovel 10, in that the hoist drum 680 andthe hoist motors 682 work together to pay out and reel in a hoist ropeover the boom 2035.

As with the transmission units 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500, the hoisttransmission unit 600 also experiences high levels of heat. In order tocool the components of the transmission unit 600, the same ventingsystem 540 that directs cold air to the transmission unit 500 on theboom 2035 also directs cold air through the manifold 547 directly to twoair inlet portions 688 on the motor housings 686. The cold air cools themotor housings 686, as well as the motors disposed inside the motorhousings 686, prior to exiting out of two air outlet portions 690. Whileonly one air inlet portion 688 and one air outlet portion 690 areillustrated for each motor 682, in some constructions each motor 682includes more than one air inlet portion 688 or air outlet portion 690.

With reference to FIG. 18, the drum housing 684 further includes twovent apertures 692 disposed on a bottom surface 694 of the drum housing684. The vent apertures 692 permit water, debris, air, or other materialto flow in and out of the drum housing 684. In some constructions theventing system 540 is also connected, via the manifold 547, to one ormore of the apertures 692 to direct cold air directly into the drumhousing 684 and cool the drum housing 684.

Although the invention has been described in detail with reference tocertain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist withinthe scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects of the inventionas described.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A mining shovel comprising: a boom; atransmission unit coupled to the boom, the transmission unit including:an outer housing; an internal motor housing disposed within the outerhousing; and a venting system coupled to the outer housing to direct airthrough both the outer housing and the internal motor housing.
 2. Themining shovel of claim 1, wherein the venting system includes a blowercoupled directly to the outer housing.
 3. The mining shovel of claim 1,wherein the outer housing includes a gear case.
 4. The mining shovel ofclaim 1, wherein two internal motor housings are disposed within theouter housing.
 5. The mining shovel of claim 1, wherein the internalmotor housing includes inlet apertures to receive air moving inside theouter housing.
 6. The mining shovel of claim 5, wherein the internalmotor housing includes four inlet apertures.
 7. The mining shovel ofclaim 6, wherein the four inlet apertures are spaced approximately 90degrees apart from one another on the internal motor housing.
 8. Themining shovel of claim 1, and further comprising an external motorhousing that directs air out of the mining shovel.
 9. The mining shovelof claim 1, wherein the venting system includes ducting positionedinside the boom to deliver air to the outer housing.
 10. The miningshovel of claim 9, wherein the venting system includes a blower coupledto the ducting.
 11. The mining shovel of claim 10, wherein the blower isdisposed on a lower end of the boom.
 12. The mining shovel of claim 1,wherein the venting system includes ducting positioned alongside anexterior surface of the boom to deliver air to the outer housing. 13.The mining shovel of claim 1, wherein the venting system includes ablower positioned at a lower end of the boom.
 14. The mining shovel ofclaim 1, wherein the venting system includes a cavity inside the outerhousing through which the air passes.